2025 marks 500 years since the first known publication of an Estonian-language book, and Estonia is celebrating all year long.

Tallinn City Museum's newest exhibition, "Miniature Books in the Kiek in de Kök Artillery Tower," will feature the smallest Estonian-language books ever produced.

Miniature books are small-format printed materials that measure up to 100 millimeters in height. The smallest Estonian book ever produced was made by Indrek Oper, whose private collection is the source of many of the books featured in this exhibition.

"Inside it are the lyrics to the Estonian national anthem," Tallinn City Museum director Anneli Jalava revealed.

Featured alongside the Estonian-language works are miniature books in seven other languages, totaling 65 books.

The oldest Estonian-language miniature book on display dates back to 1935, but the smallest of them all, measuring just 5x5 mm, is a tiny edition of the Lord's Prayer in seven different languages.

"It was made in Munich in 1960 and is, in fact, the smallest book in the world," Jalava highlighted, noting that it was specifically produced as a novelty.

The plexiglass case in which the book is kept, she added, makes it appear larger than it actually is.

While it's neither practical nor possible to loan or read the miniature book with the Lord's Prayer from a library, other mini-books can be quite practical.

"Such as a tiny English-German dictionary — that's very much practical," the museum director said. "Back when people didn't carry phones in their pockets, you could just stash this in your back pocket while traveling."

However, reading the 1928 dictionary still requires sharp eyes — or a magnifying glass.

" The small book format was actually born out of practicality," Jalava acknowledged. "All kinds of prayers and other things people wanted to carry with them and be reminded of. That's what these tiny formats were made for."

The exhibition "Miniature books in the Kiek in de Kök Artillery Tower" will remain open at Kiek in de Kök, part of Tallinn City Museum, through Wednesday, December 31.

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